


Counting to Twenty

by HappilyNervousCollection



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Child Abuse, Gen, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2019-03-06 11:16:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13410108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappilyNervousCollection/pseuds/HappilyNervousCollection
Summary: This is a sequel to my first story, Counting to Ten. Please read that one first! The main character is Harrison, and if you want to find more of my work (art- not just fanfiction.) please visit the Camp Camp Amino! My username is the same across platforms.





	Counting to Twenty

By the time summer had ended and school began again, Harrison had returned to his previous personality; quiet, intelligent, reserved, and perhaps a bit lonely. He’d gone back to the teasing and constant fear of his parents, being treated as an outcast most places he went.

By the time Harrison was eleven, he’d had his graduation from Elementary school. While the parents would clap and cheer as their children walked across the auditorium stage, receiving a mock diploma, Harrison had been looking around the auditorium, searching for his own.

It was only when he’d made it on stage that he realized his parents hadn’t shown up, standing there for an extra thirty seconds longer than he was supposed to, tears in his eyes as the audience politely clapped. He had to be escorted off the stage by his teacher, his ears having turned red as he started to cry, the snickers from his peers cutting at him like knives.

When summer came, it was almost the same routine for him. The bullying had pressed onwards, Harrison slowly readjusting so that he was happy. His emotions were often shoved aside, and he found himself beginning to be ignored slightly, but that was fine. It was better than the usual amount of negative attention that plagued him.

He’d shoved his own emotions aside, becoming more of a doormat than he had before. He’d let everything slide- the insults to his looks, the taunting mockery of his accent _(of which he inherited from his late grandfather at a young age)_ , Hell, even the credibility of his magic. He took it all and shoved his emotions aside, and it wasn’t until David had chastised him that he’d snapped.

He had been performing a trick- an astounding one that he’d worked to handcraft for weeks in the hopes of impressing the others. The routine was complicated and eye catching, and he’d put on the performance one Friday night.

The summer air had made the evening warm, the stage lit up with cob web infested lights that drew moths to them. Harrison had performed plenty of tricks, saving his best trick for last. He was going to make something disappear and then reappear, just like he’d always hoped to do. Just like he’d dreamed of doing the night he was locked in his room, forced to listen to his mother’s incoherent sobbing and babbling.

Harrison had started by making a line of scarves disappear into his fist, a collection of items attached to the lines. The items consisted of fake knives, stuffed rabbits and coins. Making the string disappear was easy, and he watched as everyone looked on, an almost awaiting look on their faces. His eyes scanned the crowd, taking in a number of expressions. Neil and Nerris seemed to be laughing to themselves, rolling their eyes.

Everyone else seemed to be along for the ride, until he saw Max. Max, the person who hadn’t even truly appreciated the person Harrison saw as a father figure until it was beneficial for him. Max, the sarcastic kid who never helped Harrison as he was being hurt- the same kid who was currently being loved by David. And sure, it hurt to see Max cuddled up to David, a fearful look on his face.

But what hurt more was David’s disapproving look.

That look he had on his face, his arm wrapped tightly around Max as he watched Harrison carefully, almost glaring. Harrison had gulped, feeling incredibly nervous. He felt as if his legs were going to give out from under him, like he’d fail no matter what he did. So, he finished the trick, and this time it was Neil who ended up coughing up scarves.

He’d started hacking and coughing violently, the others backing away in horror as David tried to help him, pulling the items out from Neil’s throat. The silence from afterwards could be cut with a knife, everyone staring at Harrison, the echoes of Neil’s broken crying and breathing entering the field.

David approached Harrison- who had instantly flinched back, his hand covering his face and his legs shaking, tears in his eyes. He hadn’t meant for that to happen at all- he was supposed to have the scarves come from outside his shoe. The scarves would’ve then circled around him like a snake, exploding into a cloud of colored smoke. _“Harrison, that was an incredibly mean thing to do,”_ David had said, his voice sharp and clear, and Harrison began apologizing profusely.

His voice was coming out broken, tears trailing down his cheeks as he covered his face. He felt humiliated, terrified, and so damn sorry. He tried to explain how that was in no way what he had intended- he tried explaining how the trick was supposed to go, but David wasn’t having any of it. The campers had joined in, fighting and yelling against him as they defended Neil. It had to have been intentional- it couldn’t have been magic. Harrison had to have intentionally hurt Neil.

Harrison didn’t remember exactly what he said, but he remembered that he’d gotten everyone to shut up. He had told them how bad his school years had been. He’d told them about his grandfather passing away. He’d told them exactly how his younger brother disappeared, and how his parents hated and despised him and feared him. He’d yelled out that it was everyone’s damn fault that he was like this- David’s for choosing Max over him, Nerris’s for every mean comment that made him feel like less of a person, for every punch and kick and bruise Nurf had graced him with.

At the age of eleven years old, Harrison felt scared, angry, and alone. At the age of eleven years old, Harrison had ran away from the place he called home, tripping and crying as he ran deep into the forest, his heart pounding in his ears and his lungs crushing his chest.

And nearly two days later, they found him, passed out against a tree with animal scratches. They found him, a mess of a kid, underweight and his cheeks tear stained. They found him cold and dirty and alone.

That summer went much differently than the others.

For once, people acted differently to him, and Harrison felt more lonely than he had before. While the bullying had stopped at camp, there came to be a resound fear of him, a hatred and guilt that loomed over the camp. Finally they saw him as he saw himself, and no matter how much he’d apologized to both Neil and Max, he hadn’t received any form of acceptance.

By the time Harrison had turned thirteen, his attitude had changed. His parents had gone from fearing him to ignoring him, which was decidedly better. The districts had merged, causing him to attend school with his peers from camp, and oh if that wasn’t joyous.

He’d spot them in the halls, averting his eyes as he was shoved against others, pressed against lockers until he couldn’t move, whispered about around the school.

Everything changed roughly halfway through the year. Harrison had been interrupted on his way back from the restroom, held up by his tie as he was pressed against the lockers, choking and begging for oxygen.

He flinched back as the person raised their fist, his eyes scrunching shut as he struggled not to cry. The punch never came. What had come instead, was his savior.

Harrison had been released, gasping for breath as he slumped against the lockers, wiping at the tears that threatened to spill at the corners of his eyes. He coughed and heaved, panting as he rubbed at his throat, which had been marked red. He looked up, his vision blurry as he saw someone beating the shit out of the person.

Harrison gulped, watching as his vision slowly became more and more clear, a slight whimper leaving him as he identified the girl as Nikki. He shook as she grew closer to him, averting his eyes to the floor as he curled up on himself, instinctively expecting to be hit.

She’d offered him his hand. He looked between it and her face, a shocked expression on his face, his eyes wide. She was smiling happily.

He accepted the hand.

During lunch that day, he’d been invited to sit with them. Or rather, he’d been dragged over to the table by a very excited Nikki. She’d sat him down at the table, continuing the conversation as if everything was normal. The other campers exchanged awkward, almost frightened looks that Harrison seemed to reciprocate. Nikki wasn’t having any of it.

She caught on eventually, lecturing them to forgive him- he hadn’t intended anything wrong, the past was in the past. The first to forgive were Space Kid, Nerris, and Preston. Preston had missed Harrison terribly, the two of them having been close friends, and the only reason he hadn’t invited him back to the friend group was because he had other things going on and he didn’t want to be exiled from the group.

Nerris had felt immensely guilty the day Harrison had snapped, running away. The impact of her words had nearly slapped her in the face as he yelled, even quoting some of what she’d said. She simply didn’t know how to properly apologize, and with Harrison having already displayed that he was capable of causing harm, she’d been scared.

Space Kid had simply joined the bandwagon, seeing as he was incredibly forgiving. He knew he’d most likely be called stupid for even offering to bring Harrison back, so he was more than happy to accept him.

The others gradually accepted him over the course of a week or two, Harrison continuing to apologize to everyone. They eventually did the same, and he slowly sunk back into how he was at camp. The only sign that he’d been damaged that remained was how he’d flinch and go to protect himself if someone made too quick of a gesture, or if someone unexpectedly approached him.

By the age of thirteen, he’d suddenly had an odd change in his social life. People at school had started to find magic cool, and with Harrison’s experience in the field, he became almost popular.

He’d perform magic tricks during lunch, of which his friends would gladly cheer on, knowing how much of a joy it was for him. Even Neil had started to clap, having grown out of the almost obsessive need to analyze how the trick was performed, enjoying the performance itself.

At the end of middle school there was a graduation ceremony being held. It took the rough course of nearly three days, and Harrison found himself almost eager to graduate. He’d taught his peers how to play card tricks like BS, War, and Spoons, bringing an extra pack of cards seeing how he didn’t want his bent.

The ceremony came, and Harrison hollered louder than ever as he watched his friends cross the stage. When it was his turn to go up, he did the same, so happy that he didn’t even care if his parents didn’t show up. They hadn’t last time, so it wasn’t a big deal!

They’d handed out awards nearing the end of the ceremony, several students receiving several awards. Nerris and Neil had won several academic awards, mainly for English, Math, and Science. Then there was a special award that Harrison was shocked even existed.

Both him, Max, and another student had been called up to the stage, each presented with a new award.

They each had a special title- Max’s had been the Perseverance Award, while Harrison’s had been a Kindness Award. The principal read over a notecard for each winner of the three awards, explaining why they won them.

Max had apparently been living with David, who had been struggling to find jobs. However, he still did decently at his schoolwork despite home matters, readjusting to living with David instead of his own parents.

Harrison’s notecard nearly brought him to tears, a shaky smile on his face. The award had been presented to him for having an open mind and positive attitude, despite the wrongdoings of his life. Nothing specific was said, although there were mentions of bullying in the note, and the fact that he’d even received something had been heartwarming.

That summer had gone nicely, Harrison’s attitude persisting throughout the summer. Nurf had ceased his torment, and Harrison’s magical abilities thrived. For once he could perform more spells and incantations and illusions than he had ever before, and he was so damn overjoyed and proud.

By the time Harrison was fourteen, he’d been relatively emotionally stable. He was still living in a home life full of neglect, but that didn’t matter. He was thriving in school, his magic tricks having excelled.

He’d become excellent at both Science and Math, having fun with both Nerris and Neil in those classes. He shared Theater and English with Neil as well, this time with Preston thrown into the mix. He’d become more confident in his abilities, and by the end of that summer, he’d learned how to control his powers. He’d become familiar with them, easily controlling the flames from his palms and the items he’d conjure.

At age fifteen, his father had turned to alcoholism. There would be cans upon cans of beer, and Harrison had to be careful of what time he got home, or else those empty cases would be aimed at his head. His father only payed attention to him to chastise and yell drunkenly, roaring about how Harrison was a plague.

He’d have to wear his sleeves down sometimes, raiding through his mother’s makeup to conceal the bruises he’d gained. His flinching had gotten worse, and his friends were beginning to suspect an issue, but nothing too bad. They didn’t know.

Harrison would cry sometimes, becoming more tired at school. He still did well in his classes, but he was slipping. He was more than relieved to head back to Camp Campbell, avoiding the cans and comments. He’d cried the night he had to go back, a sense of dread washing over him.

He’d had nightmares of the yelling and screaming, the cans and bottles thrown his way, his mothers eyes looking away as he gained another scar. He’d woke up the next morning at three am, shaking, his pillow wet with tears.

At sixteen, he ran away. He’d snuck out one Friday night, his father’s wallet in hand and two suitcases with him. He left his parents, immediately heading to the bank and emptying a decent fourth of his parents savings account that he knew used to be his college funds. He moved the money over to his account, he made sure his parents couldn’t reach the account.

He lived in a motel for a bit, malnourished but safe. He’d sometimes teleport back to his room, taking anything he’d left behind and moving it back to the motel. The motel was disgusting, and Harrison focused more on performing street magic after school, getting paid enough for the next rent.

He could barely afford to go to camp that year, and he went because it was cheaper than being at the motel. The others seemed somewhat shocked at the amount of stuff he decided to bring, but they didn’t question it. He was more tired, eating like he hadn’t eaten in years, even though the food was disgusting.

He entertained the newer campers, performing eye catching magic tricks, coming up with complicated routines. They all had fun, and of course they were adopted into the Campbell Campers family. Nearing the end of that summer, Harrison had let it slip that he’d ran away from home once it had turned abusive.

It had been late, Max having brought back a bottle or two of wine from Spooky Island, the teens drinking until each was at least slightly tipsy. Harrison had been giggling, lying on the Mess Hall floor, facing the ceiling.

He couldn’t remember exactly, but he was sure he’d lifted up his shirt at some point, laughing as he pointed out scars he’d gained over the years. His ribs had stuck out, lined with scars and scratches. Some were from camp, others from school, and Harrison seemed to grow somewhat more quiet as he pointed to a set of smaller scars on his side. _“Nearly ate glass,”_ He explained, giggling slightly. _“Dad threw a bottle- just barely escaped it!”_

At seventeen years old, Harrison had moved in with Preston.

He didn’t really know why, but one day Preston had followed him to the motel, telling him to pack his bags and leave. Concerned, he did so, bringing them with him. It wasn’t until Harrison asked what was happening that Preston told him, told him how he’d admitted to being in an abusive household.

Harrison had frozen up in the back of the car, his eyes wide. Preston then told him what was happening- how he’d be moving in with Preston -and Harrison had nearly started weeping. He’d been thanking him relentlessly, the widest grin on his face.

They’d arrived at Preston’s house, Harrison moving into Preston’s room within twenty or so minutes. Preston had a bunk bed- Harrison slept on the top one while Preston slept on the bottom one, seeing as he often fell out of bed. This often wasn’t the case though, as Harrison found himself moving to sleep near Preston, and Preston doing the same.

He graduated at eighteen, with honors classes and an almost four point o GPA.

The graduation had been amazing. Preston’s parents had shown up- them having officially been his own parental figures. The after party was astounding, and Harrison didn’t think he’d ever been happier. He had amazing friends, ones who’d helped him bounce back, and he cared for them greatly.

After Harrison had walked across the stage, David had come up to him, apologizing. At first Harrison was confused- what had David needed to apologize for? He hadn’t done anything.

Despite these claims, David pressed on. He explained how he didn’t think he’d be able to adopt two sons, as that would require an immense amount of money and paperwork that he simply didn’t have. He explained how he had deemed Max’s situation worse, and had worked to adopt him instead.

Harrison had gulped, his heart in his stomach as he nodded. Harrison reassured him that it was fine- that he was fine, and he’d turned out okay. Sure, it hurt to hear how and why David chose Max over him, but it was understandable.

He’d live.

By age nineteen, he’d started working as a magician for children’s parties. It payed incredibly well, and Harrison always loved hanging out with children. He performed wonderful tricks that left them in awe, their little eyes wide and their smiles even wider.

He’d soon gotten accepted into a good college, and upon doing some minor calculations, he learned that he’d be able to pay off the possible student debt within a course of a year. He’d nearly cried upon getting the letter back- Preston having to open it for him instead. They’d cried and cheered, celebrating the night with Harrison’s favorite dinner and dessert.

At age twenty, Harrison had a stable job and a plan for college ahead of him. He’d moved out of the house, going off to major in performance art, minoring in chemical science. At age twenty, he’d have video chats with Preston and his friends up until two am. At age twenty, Harrison would live and smile, texting the group chat they had all made back in high school.

At age twenty, Harrison was more than happy, his past behind him and a legacy to keep up.


End file.
